Container



July 16, 1929. F. J. HEACOCK CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 20,1927 b4 Il ikll ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929 F. J. HEAcocK 1.72,448

CONTAINER 'Filed Aug. 2o, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR IBEW/c0075 BY@Wma ATTORNEYS Patented July 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,721,448 PATENT OFFICE..

:FOSTER J. Hancock, or CLEARVILLE, PENNsYLvANrA.

CONTAINER.

Application mea August 2o, 1927. seran Nam/1,308.

The present invention is concerned with the provision of a containerwhich may have a wide range of utility, but which is pecularily adaptedas a shipping container forv fruits and vegetables, particularly apples.

An object of the invention is to provide a container which combines theadvantages of both a basket and barrel typecontainer, and Vyet whicheliminates certain disadvantages lpresent in the use of either a barrelor basket. In connection with the ordinary barrel now commonly employedfor shipping apous process requiring the services of an eX-' pert. Theempty barrel when received by the `packer must be recoopered bytightening and nailing the hoops and removing one headand nailing theother in place. The operation of applying ahead to a full barrel ofapplesY frequently .results in an excessive bruising Y pressure on thefruit and consequent serious loss from decay. The decayed yapples at thetop ofthe barrels present a very poor appearance when the barrel isopened fory inspection or sale. v The ordinary bushel basket isquiteconvenient for storage and shipping purposes when empty due to the factthat a numberrof baskets may be nested, but it is a poor container forshipment when filled due to the factthat it lacks sturdiness and is notwell suited to stacking. l Y

' In accordance with the present invention I have overcome ally of theabovenoted difliculties by the provision of a container which includesapair of tub-shaped sections roughand then secured together, end to end,to form a barrel.

By virtue of this construction the container may be shipped as a vbarrel when full, and

shipped as nested baskets when empty. The sections may be readilyindividually packed without the back-breakingstooping required i 'p inpacking a barrel. Ringtailing iseliminated. No cooperage by the packerisfnecessary, since the package is completed at they factory.T Anypressure incidental'to pressor empty.

ing the two sections together is widely landy evenly distributed overpractically all of the fruit, with a consequent reduction in the numberof fruit which are bruised or disfigured. Either end of the barrel maybe opened for purpose of inspection or vending, or theA barrel may besplit in halfand opened as two baskets would be opened.` Wherepurchasers desire a half barrel onlyl of apples, one of the containersmay be readily split' by simply disconnecting the baskets or tubs.

By capping or heading the two basket tops and then placing these headstogether vat the center of the barrel, an extremely rigid and ruggedconstruction is provided. The container is both simple and practical inconstruction, well suited to the requirements of economical manufacture,capable of convenient assembly or disassembly, and ready handling,shipping andl storing when either full With the view, Vthe inventionconsists in certain" novel features of construction and combinations andarrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth andpointed out in the claims. The invention may be moreA fully understood.from the fllowing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a sectional viewV through on'` of thetub-shaped sections of the container show! ing the latter packed andheaded, this view being taken approximately on the line 1-1 of Fig. 7. e

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation,V and partly in sectionshowing the two tub shaped sections placed one upon .theothen ready tobe pressed together, and theY retaining'straps inserted under the hoopsl5. but not yet inserted under the hoops 16 as in theirnal pop-,

sition.` y

Fig. 3 is a .sectional detail showing'the e i' manner of securing vthebasket lids intplac. ly equivalent to baskets which Amay bevfilled Llisa similar view showing thelids secured and the baskets superimposed. i

'above noted and other objects in Fig. 5 Ais a view similar toFig..2,but show- Ving the two sections ofn the package pressed togetherwith the retaining slats in their iinal position. l ,Y

l Fig. 6 is a detailed outsideelevationhof a modification showing themanner of anchoring the ends of the metal securing strips.

Fig." 7 is a sectional plan view through the middle ofthe barrel.

Fig. 8 is a sectionaldetail showing the mannervof securing the packageheads in place when the empty packages are shipped.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6.

In the drawings I have used the reference numerals 10, 10 to designate apair of approximately tub-shaped sections adapted'to be iilled withapples or other merchandise to beshipped, then headed with covers 10aLsuperimposed one upon 4.the other with the covers in engagement pressedtogether into barrel formation as shown in Fig. 5 and retained in anysuitable manner against relative movement.

Each ofthe tub-shapedmembers or baskets 10 are provided with wallsconsisting of staves held in position at .the bottom between inner andouter hoops 12, 13, and at lthe top between inner and outer lhoops 14,15. Oentral hoops 16 also encircle the tub-shaped baskets 10. While thewalls might consist ofy a single layer of staves, `I preferably formthem of a double layer of thin staves, such vas staves of veneer.

The staves of each layer are slightly spaced apart and overlapped by thestaves of the other layer for a purpose which will be more fullyhereinafter described. Y

One of the unit-s 10 is filled and preferably lprovided with a cap,head, or lid such as 10a. This lid as best seen in Fig. 7 may consistsimply of a circular member formed of crossedv slats. Preferably the lidis not placed directly on the fruit in the basket, but lies against alayer of packing and cushioning .material such as the disc 17 ofcorrugated `paperor equivalentniaterial. f

The bottom 18 of each basket 10 is preferably made of two layers-ofslats placed cross- ,wise to each other, and properly spaced if desired,to aord ventilation. Various lexpedients might be resorted to forsecuring the lids 10a. I have shown one convenient means of attachmentin which metal straps 19 carried by theyinner hoops 14 are provided withbendable ends 2O adapted to be bent inwardly over the edges of the lid10a.

In many instances it is not essential to use a -lid on both baskets,although I have illustrated two lids in the drawings. Obviously,

Athe vonly place where a lid is essential Yis on the -basket -which mustbe inverted Aand emplaced on top of .a lower one.

With the two .baskets superimposed as in Fig. 2, they are placed -in anysuitable press, or lany suitable means is utilized for forcing themtogether untilthe hoops 14 and 15 .of the'two baskets abut. Ordinarilythe lid 10a `will belly out slightly when first applied, and thepressure necessaryfor vflattening them when t-he baskets are assembledto form a bar-- p rel is just suflicient to insure tight and properpacking of the fruit.

Numerous means might be utilized for retaining the two baskets togethervso that they may be shipped as a barrel unit. Preferably, woodenstaves, strips or slats such as 2l are 1nserted under the encirclinghoops 15, 16 of the baskets and Anailed in place. In an alternateembodiment of the invention however,

the securing strip-like members 21 are of relative sliding .or relativerotary movement...

p From the foregoing description it will be seen that the two basketsmaybe packed with the vfacility ofvordinary bushel .-baskets; that, whenshipped together theyretain allvo'f-the advantages of a barrel rasashipping .container, and that when they are received by the consigneethey may be readily separated and sold as basket units if desired, oreither head of the barrel maybe opened.

When the containeris filled the heads 18 l of the baskets will beretained in place by the'- weight of the fruit. When the baskets areshipped empty however, some supplemental .means must beV provided forholding the heads. Such means has been illustrated Vin Fig. 8, whereinit will ybe noted that the heads may either be `directly nai-led'finplace-or secured by a circular cleat suchas 18,

AVarious changes and alterations might `be -made in the general form andarrangementof the parts described without departing from Ythe invention.-IIence-I do not wishvto ,limit myself to the details set forth,`butshall consider myself-at liberty 'to make such changes and alterationsas fairly fall within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. l V

VI claim: f Y 1. As a new article of manufacture, a con- .tainer forshipping fruit or the like, including a pair of substantially tub-shapedbasket-like sections yadapted to be filled with fruit and placed mouthto mouthfeach basket-like sec-l tion consistingof stavesand innerandouter rings at ntheir'ends, means for securing said .sections rigidlytogether against relative movement inany ,direction whereby a barrellikecontainer isrformed, a lid for. one `basket section constituting intheassembled sections a 'centralf'reinforcement for the container, andstraps having one end adapted tobend Y around the inner rings and havingtheir other ends `adapted'to be bent down on the lid to hold the same inplace` when the basket-like section is inverted and emplaced on itscompanion basket-like section. L

2.' As a new article of manufacturaacontainer Vfor shipping fruit or thelike, including a pair of substantially tub-shaped basketlike sectionsadapted to be lled with fruit and placed mouth to mouth, means lforsecuring said sections rigidly together against relative movement in anydirection whereby a barrel-like container is formed, each basketlikesection being formed of sta-ves and staveretaining rings at its ends,and anchoring means comprising staves passed under said rings andanchored to the basket-like sections.

3. A container for shipping fruits and the like, comprising a pair ofsubstantially tubshaped basket-like sections adapted to be placed mouthto mouth after being filled, each section being formed of two layers ofoverlapping slats, the slats of each layer being spaced from oneanother, inner and outer rings at the ends ofthe sections andintermediate rings between the ends of the sections, and securingstrip-like members passing between the rings at the open ends of thesections and lying in the space between the slats of the sections withtheir ends lying under the intermediate rings of the said sections.

Signed at Bedford, inthe county of Bed'- ford and State of Pennsylvania,this 17th day of August, A. D. One thousand nine hundred andtwenty-seven.

FOSTER J. HEACOCK.

